1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adaptable umbrella or the like handle that provides a means to utilize the umbrella in its folded and unused state as a clothing hanger, thus minimizing the possibility that upon leaving a given location the umbrella's owner will remember to take his coat but leave the umbrella behind. This forgetfulness is far from being merely a minor annoyance to individuals. It is first costly to continue to leave one's umbrella behind. Secondly, it provides the owner of the misplaced umbrella with the opportunity to rue his mistake by becoming soaked in an ensuing downpour, thus possibly ruining expensive evening clothes. Finally, the embarrassment of a forgotten article is a misfortune that we all can avoid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Having made an extensive examination and search of the existing prior art, the applicant found only four references that were of interest. Each of these is described below in detail.
The German Balke Pat. No. 349689 patent reference discloses a cane-type walking apparatus which may be converted into a hanger-type suspension means for clothing and the like. Balke, however, goes about transforming its cane walking apparatus into its hanger-type apparatus in a fundamentally different way than that proposed by the applicant herein. The arms b are pivotally attached adjacent the upper end of the cane, and rotate radially upward to be held in place by collar d and retaining pin e. When not in use, arms b are folded downward and are held by retaining collar g. In applicant's invention, the arms are pivotally attached to a head which is in turn attached to the handle. This permits the invention to be added as a modification to an existing umbrella or the like. Also applicant's invention provides that its arms are rotated upward and in one alternative embodiment recessed into the head member of the invention. There is thus no need for the retaining collar g nor the sustaining means illustrated by elements d and e in FIG. 1 of Balke.
Doyle U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,825 relates to an umbrella holder that is cited herein as being of interest because of swing arms 41. Upon inspection, however, it is readily seen that swing arms 41 are fixed in position to element 18 and thus cannot be recessed into the head member of the instant invention as is provided for herein.
The remaining two references are the O'Neil U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,249 for an umbrella with a stand attached thereto, and the Harris U.S. Pat. No. 1,982,097 directed to an umbrella support. These references are cited as being of general interest to understand the state of the art and to indicate the extent of the applicant's search thereof. They are however, clearly distinct from the instant invention and neither anticipate it nor render it obvious.